The Dip, GOODGOD Small Club, Chinatown

Named for the dastardly Dip featured in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit‘, this Dip features a hell of a lot of old school American goodness in the form of Hot Dogs, Tacos, Burgers and some damn fine beer. Tucked away in GOODGOD Small Club, with the magic of Andrew Levins and Bianca Khalil working behind the scenes it’s a welcome late-night addition to the Sydney scene.

I know why I’m here. I’ve been stalking Lev’s Dawg for a few weeks now, a tweet here and a teasing mention of it there on the menu means I have eyes for nothing else, even though that Pulled Pork sandwich is tempting! Sydney’s going through a Hot Dog love fest at the moment, but for now Lev’s Dawg reigns supreme in my opinion.

With a soft bun and looong sausage it’s the condiments in Lev’s rendition that pushes it above the rest. The fresh tomato Salsa is bursting with flavour and is unbelievably sweet and cuts perfectly with the tart American Mustard and Mayo. Between the two of us, we’ve demolished it within minutes!

Grilled Corn - on the cob, with lime mayo and chipotle salt

Sliced into manageable pieces, the Grilled Corn is grilled lightly and served simply with the mayonnaise and chilli flakes for your dipping pleasure. The mayo is a beautifully thick texture and easily one of the best I’ve ever had and the chilli sprinkled on top just makes it all the much better.

Salsa Fries - Hand cut fries w/ fresh tomato salsa and cheese $6

Unfortunately my love doesn’t extend to the Salsa Fries, which come out in a surprisingly small serving. The salsa is refreshing but the chips themselves a little limp and we end up appropriating them to dip in the leftover mayonnaise from the corn side dish which is much more to our liking.

SOL - Mexican Beer $7

There’s a whole page of cocktails to be had, but for some reason my eye is pulled towards SOL. Is it the slick packaging? The promise of 4.5% alcohol with a volume of 330ml? Whatever the reason, it’s the Mexican version of a Corona served complete with a slice of lime and goes down a treat.

Oh Tacos where you been all my life! The moment they arrive at the table my only regret is that we hadn’t ordered one each. The corn chips are smothered in a generous layer of cheese which stretches in enticing strings before revealing the payload. Pulled Pork.

It’s a ridiculously messy, fun dish to eat topped off perfectly with my SOL beer. The only thing that could have made this dish better is if we’d ordered one each so we wouldn’t have had to share.

It’s the mention of the Salted Caramel Ice Cream that draws my attention to the Cookies n’ Cream, it’s a last-minute order and despite service being run of its feet that night our order still makes it to us quickly.

I’m slightly disappointed that the ice-cream is only a thin layer between the two cookies (my visit to the Dip was on opening night, more recent reviews I’ve seen of this dish show an entire scoop of ice-cream between the cookies!). The cookies are a brain freezing, saltily sweet sensation of a bite and while I wish they were a little larger, my stomach is finally content.

The major appeal of the Dip is that it has no pretensions, the menu consists of 6 main options and does them well. Occasionally daily specials are available and advertised covertly through their Twitter account (I’m still devastated that I missed out on the recent Mrs Officer pulled pork sandwich!).

It’s mostly DIY service as you order your meals from the kitchen out back and find your own table, business gets busy quickly here but you’re able to book a table up until 7.30. The best part? They’re open til 12am on Friday and Saturday.